2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Highlands, NC vs Chattanooga, TN

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Highlights
- Household income in Chattanooga, is 3% less than it is in Highlands and is 37% below the National Average.
- Highlands unemployment rate is 4.2%.
- Chattanooga unemployment rate is 5.6%.
 Highlands, NCChattanooga, TNUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.6%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth30.4%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock0.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$44,842  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$50,437$69,021
 Family Median Income$85,341  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Highlands, NCChattanooga, TNUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.2%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.4%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock10.5%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.3%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.3%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.4%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K6.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.8%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Highlands, NCChattanooga, TNUnited States
 Management, business, finance23.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock4.8%6.5%
 Community, social services0.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.0%1.2%
 Education, library1.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.2%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance9.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.7%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.5%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.2%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair2.2%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock15.1%13.1%
Reviews for Highlands    4 Reviews

Love BestPlaces, but most of their statistics are incorrect for the actual town of Highlands which is extremely expensive. I assume they are using information from Macon  More

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Over 5 years ago

This used to be a quaint, quiet, sweet little town, but it has ballooned into a rich man's Mecca. Fist of all, it's a tiny town... so parking is at a premium and it gets  More

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Over 15 years ago

I have run two businesses in Highlands. It is a very seasonal business trend. The rents are high and so is the cost of doing business, including labor cost, cost of  More

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Reviews for Chattanooga    60 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

Moved to Chattanooga from the San Francisco Bay area. It was a hard one but after losing much in the 2017, 2018, 2019 annual wildfire festival of California I got tired  More

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I feel like the crime in Chattanooga gets glossed over in most reviews. Lived here virtually my entire life and I will truly miss the golden sunrises against the  More

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I live in nearby Cleveland TN where I have lived for 20 years. I like to shop and visit Chattanooga as there is a lot to do but they do have a very high crime rate.   More

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